Now Spinning 4/8/2020: The Tea Club- "If/When", 2019
- Dakota Kahler
- Apr 8, 2020
- 2 min read
Though technically not a vinyl record, this album deserves a spot on this blog. I picked up a CD copy of The Tea Club's newest album, "If/When" at after a show of theirs last November at Gabe's in Iowa City. The Tea Club is a lesser known prog-rock band, however, they have received a fair amount of praise over the course of their career within the prog community. I was unfamiliar with their work before I bought tickets to the show, which was headlined by Thank You Scientist, the main reason I bought tickets. They were the first opening act (of two), which is a very tough spot on the bill; sparse, mainly uninterested, crowds usually chatter with neighbors during this time slot. The Tea Club, however, demanded the attention of the crowd and received it upon their first words into the mic...
"We're going to play for 30 minutes. We're only going to play 1 song. This song is called Creature."
I watched in admiration as the musicians on the small, packed stage played their hearts out; you could tell this group had something special between the members. They had fun, loved what they did, and didn't care about what other people thought. I mean, what other explanation is there for a band who includes a 30 minute epic in their one song set? Upon conclusion of the song, which captivated me from the beginning and kept me interested throughout the entirety of the track, I was speechless. It had been a long time since a song of that caliber demanded me full attention for such an extended period of time (possibly "2112" by Rush).
After the show, I went over to the merch table and met the guys in The Tea Club. We talked about the inspiration for the song, how it came to be, and I expressed my love for prog rock, saying I was raised on Rush, Yes, Genesis, Tool, etc. I bought the album and gave it a listen in it's entirety the next day.
As I had suspected, the other songs on "If/When" were phenomenal. Hauntingly beautiful vocals, nostalgic synths reminiscent of the 80s, intricate guitar riffs (12 stringers), and the signature prog thematics/concepts. Notable tracks included "If I Mean When", "Rivermen", and of course, "Creature".
This album was included in my Top 10 albums of 2019; it is a work of art that contains masterfully skilled musicians who play music for the love of it. I rank it 10/10, and encourage you to listen to "Creature" in full. You won't regret it.
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